--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: See, once you have begun to experience…" description: "\"See, once you have begun to experience solitude and silence, you discover that you actually have a soul and that there is a God.Then you can begin to p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/584/dallas-willard-819_community_see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-so_1920227.png" --- # See, once you have begun to experience solitude and… ![“See, once you have begun to experience solitude and silence, you discover that you actually have a soul and that there is a God.Then you can begin to practice Sabbath and that will enable you to re-enter community.You can't have community without Sabbath.” quote by Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/584/dallas-willard-819_community_see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-so_1920227.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/584/dallas-willard-819_community_see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-so_1920227.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/584/dallas-willard-819_community_see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-so_1920227.png) > “See, once you have begun to experience solitude and silence, you discover that you actually have a soul and that there is a God.Then you can begin to practice Sabbath and that will enable you to re-enter community.You can't have community without Sabbath.” [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Solitude reveals inner spirituality and God, leading to Sabbath practice, which in turn restores community connection. **In simple terms:** Silence uncovers soul; Sabbath restores community. Key Takeaway Practice Sabbath for community health. Themes spirituality community solitude Mood reflective hopeful Type theological inspirational When to use this quote - personal retreat - faith practice - church life Key Concepts theology personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How does silence affect faith? - What role does Sabbath play in modern life? A Different Perspective Sabbath may be misunderstood as isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Community Sabbath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-sabbath-2944240/) [Experience Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-solitude-1442642/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Practice Sabbath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice-sabbath-2944241/) [Sabbath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabbath/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Solitude Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude-silence-385991/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) ## Related quotes > [“But—for good reasons rooted deeply in the nature of the person and of personal relationships—his preferred way is to speak, to communicate: thus the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/but-for-good-reasons-rooted-deeply-in-the-nature-of-the-person-and-of/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [her spirits wanted the solitude and silence which only numbers could give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/her-spirits-wanted-the-solitude-and-silence-which-only-numbers-could/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“Now the voices and the sound of movement were gone, and the stream could be heard running quietly under its banks. The air was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-the-voices-and-the-sound-of-movement-were-gone-and-the-stream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The problem is no longer getting people to express themselves, but providing little gaps of solitude and silence in which they might eventually find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/the-problem-is-no-longer-getting-people-to-express-themselves-but/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [ If I'm going to continue to be any kind of spiritual teacher, I've got to go deeper myself. And so for me, \[I am\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/if-i-m-going-to-continue-to-be-any-kind-of-spiritual-teacher-i-ve-got/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [“if we don’t have experience with solitude—and this is often the case today—we start to equate loneliness and solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/if-we-don-t-have-experience-with-solitude-and-this-is-often-the-case/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [“The paradigm experience of solitude is a state characterized by disengagement from the immediate demands of other people – a state of reduced social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-depaulo/the-paradigm-experience-of-solitude-is-a-state-characterized-by/) [Bella DePaulo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-depaulo/) > [The modern listening experience is one of solitude, where someone just listens to music on their laptop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-simons/the-modern-listening-experience-is-one-of-solitude-where-someone-just/) [Ed Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-simons/) > [To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/to-make-the-right-choices-in-life-you-have-to-get-in-touch-with-your/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Of all the conditions we experience, solitude is perhaps the most misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hall/of-all-the-conditions-we-experience-solitude-is-perhaps-the-most/) [Sarah Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hall/) > [“Solitude well practiced will break the power of busyness, haste, isolation, and loneliness. You will see that the world is not on your shoulders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/solitude-well-practiced-will-break-the-power-of-busyness-haste/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [The command is "Do no work." Just make space. Attend to what is around you. Learn that you don't have to DO to BE.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/the-command-is-do-no-work-just-make-space-attend-to-what-is-around/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“Sabbath is a way of life (Heb 4:3; 9-11). It is simply "casting all your anxiety on Him," to find that in actual fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/sabbath-is-a-way-of-life-heb-4-3-9-11-it-is-simply-casting-all-your/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [Solitude and silence teach me to love my brothers for what they are, not for what they say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/solitude-and-silence-teach-me-to-love-my-brothers-for-what-they-are/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [St. John of the Cross points out that the divine music can best be heard in solitude and silence. The sonorous music is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-cumming/st-john-of-the-cross-points-out-that-the-divine-music-can-best-be/) [Charles Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-cumming/) ## More by Dallas Willard > [Today it is the skeptics who are the social conformists, though because of powerful intellectual propaganda they continue to enjoy thinking of themselves as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/today-it-is-the-skeptics-who-are-the-social-conformists-though/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > ["Spirituality" wrongly understood or pursued is a major source of human misery and rebellion against God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/spirituality-wrongly-understood-or-pursued-is-a-major-source-of-human/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“Sabbath is a way of life (Heb 4:3; 9-11). It is simply "casting all your anxiety on Him," to find that in actual fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/sabbath-is-a-way-of-life-heb-4-3-9-11-it-is-simply-casting-all-your/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [In many cases, our need to wonder about or be told what God wants in a certain situation is nothing short of a clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/in-many-cases-our-need-to-wonder-about-or-be-told-what-god-wants-in-a/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [Discipline, strictly speaking, is activity carried on to prepare us indirectly for some activity other than itself. We do not practice the piano to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/discipline-strictly-speaking-is-activity-carried-on-to-prepare-us/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“The Spirit makes Christ present to us and draws us toward his likeness. It is as we thus behold the “glory of the Lord”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/the-spirit-makes-christ-present-to-us-and-draws-us-toward-his/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [We are unceasing spiritual beings with an eternal destiny in God's great universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/we-are-unceasing-spiritual-beings-with-an-eternal-destiny-in-god-s/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [We must understand that God does not "love" us without liking us - through gritted teeth - as "Christian" love is sometimes thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/we-must-understand-that-god-does-not-love-us-without-liking-us/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [We know we can't be spiritually transformed by just focusing on the will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/we-know-we-can-t-be-spiritually-transformed-by-just-focusing-on-the/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [To allow lust (or strong desires) to govern our life is to exalt our will over God's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/to-allow-lust-or-strong-desires-to-govern-our-life-is-to-exalt-our/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [My central claim is that we become like Christ by doing one thing-by following Him in the overall style of life He chose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/my-central-claim-is-that-we-become-like-christ-by-doing-one-thing-by/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [“The aim of God in history is the creation of an all-inclusive community of loving persons, with Himself included in that community as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/the-aim-of-god-in-history-is-the-creation-of-an-all-inclusive/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [The greatest issue facing the world today, with all its heartbreaking needs, is whether those who, by profession or culture, are identified as ‘Christians’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/the-greatest-issue-facing-the-world-today-with-all-its-heartbreaking/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [What we can do with these means (our own unassisted strength) is still very small compared to what we could do in acting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/what-we-can-do-with-these-means-our-own-unassisted-strength-is-still/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) [Explore all 357 Dallas Willard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) ## More Community quotes > [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/) [Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/) [Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) [Sheila Kamerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-kamerman/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/) [Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) [Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "See, once you have begun to experience solitude and silence, you discover that you actually have a soul and that there is a God.Then you can begin to practice Sabbath and that will enable you to re-enter community.You can't have community without Sabbath.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dallas Willard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-solitude-and-silence-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Community" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-solitude-and-silence-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/584/dallas-willard-819_community_see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-so_1920227.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/584/dallas-willard-819_community_see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-so_1920227.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/584/dallas-willard-819_community_see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-so_1920227.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“See, once you have begun to experience solitude and silence, you discover that you actually have a soul and…” — Dallas Willard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dallas Willard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "See, once you have begun to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-solitude-and-silence-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/see-once-you-have-begun-to-experience-solitude-and-silence-you/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```